Photographs: Bantry, Co. Cork

Giant-rhubarb Gunnera tinctoria Gunnaire Family: Gunneraceae Flowering: July-September. Perennial. Garden escape. Introduced. Cone-like reddish brown flower heads to 100cm tall. Seeds very freely. Leaves (like giant rhubarb leaves) grow to 1.6m wide. Stems and underside of leaves covered with hooked bristles. A very large plant that can form dense thickets. Height to 4m. Damp ground near rivers, in woods, damp fields, cutaway bogs and coastal cliffs. Mainly SW and W of Ireland, naturalised in parts of west Mayo and Galway. Designated a significant invasive plant in Ireland Similar: Brazilian Giant-rhubarb, Gunnera manicata

Giant-rhubarb, Gunnera tinctoria, Gunnaire